Screw-driver



(No Model.)

R J.v H. SATTBRLEE.

SCREW DRIVER.

Patented May 19,1891.

'we Noms wenn: m., mom-umq., wwwrun n n UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN H. SATTERLEE, OF FULTON, NEFYORK.

SCREW-DRIVER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 452,617', dated May 19,1891.

Serial No. 356,848. (No model.)

.To all whom t may concern.:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. SATTERLEE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Fulton, in the countyT of Oswego, State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Screw-Drivers, of whichthe following is a specification, reference being had therein to theaccompanying drawings.

My invention relates to that class of screwdrivers in which the spindlecan be revolved to the right or left by pressing upon the handlethereof; and the object of my invention is to produce a screw-driver ofthat class free from spiral grooves or ribs upon the spindle. I attainthis object by the construction illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal central section of ascrew-driver constructed in accordance with my invention, the spindlebeing shown in clutch with the gearing. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectionthrough a portion of the handle and the rectangular cap for the shell ofthe device. through a portion of the handle, a portion of the shell, andthe cap and catches uniting the shell to the handle. Fig. 4 is aperspective view of the gear-frame, the gears, and spindle connectedtherewith. Fig. 5 is a transverse section of the shell and end bushingof the spindle on line to oo of Fig. 1. Figs. 6 and 7 represent in frontand side views a screwholder constructed in accordance with my inventionand retained upon the spindle of the screw-driver.

In said drawings, A represents the tubular shell of the screw-driver,which is rectangular and preferably nearly square in crosssection, asshown in Fig. 5, but has its lower end cylindrical at A2 to form abearing for the spindle B. To the upper end of the shell is removablyattached a correspondingly-rectangular cap C, to which the woodenhandleD is secured by means of screws d. The handle and cap O areremovably connected to the shell, so that they can be withdrawn promptlyfrom over the end of the shell, be given a halfrotation, and securedagain in said new position upon the end of the shell when it is desiredto reverse thelocation of the gear-frame therein, and thus have themotionl given to Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section the spindle reversed,as after having used the tool to drive in screws it isfdesired to use itto unscrew or remove screws from their driven position, or vice versa,as will be hereinafter described.

To secure the cap upon the head of the shell, the latter has two flatspring-catches c on opposite sides thereof that have one end secured tothe upper or outer end of the shell, and the opposite end of saidcatches is slightly bent outwardly and has a tendency to spring intoengagement with a recess and shoulder c, formed on the inner surface ofthe cap.

To release the two cat-ches a simultaneously from engagement, theoperator presses with his thumb and finger upon two small knobs c2,slightly projecting through the two opposite sides of the cap. Saidknobs are attached to one end of iat spring-tongues c3, secured at theiropposite end c4 in recesses formed in the walls of the cap, and the freeend of the tongues forces the catches out of engagement. The operatorcan then pull the cap away from its seat upon the end of the shell. Toprevent the end of the shell entering too far within the cap, the latterhas an intern al flange or lining` C2, against which the end of theshell will abut when it properly occupies its seat.

To the inner surface of the side of the shell are secured two parallelracks A3, extending the length thereof, with either one of which thegear-wheel c is adapted to mesh, so that when its carrying-frame F ispushed upward toward the handle D said gear e will revolve in onedirection upon one rack and in the opposite direction upon the otherrack and transmit opposite -rotations to the spindle B.

The gear e carries a bevel-pinion c2, and both are mounted upon a shortshaft es, that has one end secured in the sideY of the frame F, and theopposite end rests in a bearing-plate F2, secured to the opposite sideof said frame F. With the bevel-pinion e2 meshes abevelpinion g, that isprovided with a long collar that passes through the bottom plate f ofthe gear-frame and carries upon the lower end of said collar aclutch-gear g2, secured thereto by a pin g3, passing through the side ofsaid clutch-gear and into said collar. A similar clutch-gear b2 iscarried by the spindle B and is securely attached thereto upon a portionIOO L; @anni that is of reduced diameter to form asupportingsshoulderforsaid gearlf. Said portion is free to slide a shortdistance through the body and collar of the bevel-pinion g for itsclutch-gear b2 to come into or out of clutch with the gear g2. Thespindle has a still smaller diameter where it passes through thebearingsplate F2, and has a collar l) attached thereto,which limits theextent that the spin- 'dle can slide down in the bearing F2, the spacebetween the under side of said collar and said bearing being aboutequal, but slightly more than the length of the teeth of the clutch. Thecollar l) also serves as a bearing for the lower end of the bushing 71.,that is constantly pressed upon by the coil-sprin g K. The lower half ofthe bushing h is square and enters a correspondinglyformed perforationin the top of the gear-frame to keep said bushing from rotating underthe impulse of the spindle, the small end of which enters into saidbushing.

To cause the bushing h and the spindle l to continuously receive thepressure of the spring K, and thus maintain the lower end of the spindlein constant engagement with a slot of a screw, for example, the bushinhas a collar to support the lower disk or flanged end l of the tubulartelescopic guide L of the coil-spring K. The upper end h2 of the bushingenters a central perforation in the disk Z and retains one end of thetelescopic guide centrally in the shell A,while the opposite end is alsoretained centrally in the cavity of the handle D. The telescopic guideis in this ease formed of four lengths of tubes, the separation of whichis prevented by pins or projections l2, extending outwardlyfrom one tubeand entering a longitudinal groove in the next tube of the series. Thespring K is retained connected with its telescopic guide by the disks orlanges Z at the end of the latter.

After the device has been used to drive in screws, it it is desired touse it to remove driven screws the change is promptly made as follows:Placing the lower end of the spindle B against a resisting substance-forexample, the ioor or the top of a bench-an end pressure is applied tothe handle D until the whole of the spring K has been compressed withinthe cavity of said handle and the top plate f2 of the gearframe reachesthe bottom of the handle. A hook-catch mis then used to retain thegear-frame F and spindle temporarily locked to and within the cap C. Thecatch mis pivoted at nt2 to the cap-plate, and has a side hook on,formed thereon that is normally kept out of engagement with the undercutportionsf3 of the top plate of the gear-frame by a spring n; but whenthe operator desires to lock the gear-frame within the cap he pressesupon the side of the outwardly-projecting handle m in the direction ofthe arrow in Fig. 2 until the hook m3 is directly under the undercutportions f ot' the gear-frame and then slightly releases his pressureupon the handle D. The hook rmS then enters into engagement with thegear-frame and retains it within the cap C. The latter is thendiseonneeted from the end of the shell A by pressing upon the buttonsand at the same time pulling said cap away from said shell. The shell isthen given a halt` rotation and its end reinserted and locked within thecap C, with the gear c in engagement with the opposite rack. The pointofthe spindle is then slightly pressed upon the floor, and thereby thetop plate of the gear-frame reaches the bottom ol' the handle D and thehook-catch mbeeomes released under the impulse of its spring ot. Therelease of pressure upon the handle D causes the spring K to push thegear-frame and its spindle to the bottom of its course without revolvingsaid spindle, as said spring acts upon the end of the spindle anddisconnects its clutch-gear b2 from the clutch-gear g2; but as soon asthe operator presses upon the end of the handle the gear b2 againclutches the gear g2, as the gear-frame is retained stationary for aninstant by the bent sheet-spring p, secured tothe side of the gearframe,pressing against the interior of the shell of the device, and saidclutching and unclutching is repeated for each alternate motion of thehandle of the screw-driver.

To guide the screw while being driven, a screw-holder is placed upon thelower portion of the spindle B. Said holder consists of a ring R,provided with two looped wires o', having their ends secured to saidring. Said wires are made of springy metal and have their looped portionoutwardly bent at r2 to rest upon the board in which the screw is drivenand gradually force theholder upward on the spindle while said screw isbeing fully driven. A pin s, inserted in the spindle at a point underthe ring R, retains the holder connected with said spindle.

ll'avingnow fully described my invention, l claiml. In a screw-driver,the combination ol a tubular shell having racks secured therein with agear-wheel adapted to engage with either one of said racks, a i ramecarrying said gear, a spindle having one end retained in said frame andbevel-gears to rotate it, and a clutch upon said spindle with a springbearing upon said spindle, substantially as described. v

2. The combination of a tubular shell l1avingl racks secured therein, ahandle having a cap removably engaging with one end of said shell, aspindle passing through the opposite end of the shell, a clutch uponsaid spindle, a gear-frame connected with said spindle, straight andbevel gears carried by said frame, and a coiled spring pressing upon theend bushing of the spindle, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a tubular shell having racks secured therein, ahandle having a cap removably engaging one end of said shell, a spindle,a clutch upon said spindle, a gearframe connected with said spindle,straight IOO and bevel gears carried by said frame, a sliding bushing insaid frame for the end of the spindle, a telescopic sleeve resting uponsaid bushing, and a coiled spring bearing upon the end disks o'f saidsleeve, substantially as described.

4. The combination of a tubular shell hav-l ing racks secured therein,.aspindle, a gearframe connected with said spindle and having a straightgear e mounted upon an axle in said frame, a bevel-pinion c2, connectedwith the gear e, a bevel-pinion provided with a sleeve, a clutch-gearg2, mounted upon said sleeve, and a clutch-gear b2, secured to thespindle, substantially as described.

5. The combination of a tubular shell having racks secured therein7 aspindle, a gearfranie, and gears to connect the racks to' the spindlewith a frictional spring p secured to the side of the gear-frame,substantially as described.

6. |The combination of a rectangular tubular shell having racks securedtherein, a spindle, a clutch upon said spindle, a gear-frame, gears toconnect the racks with the spindle and a spring to press upon saidspindle, the gear-frame having undercut portions f3 in the top thereofwith a handle and cap for the tubular shell, and a hooked catch m,pivoted to the cap and having a handle projecting from said cap,substantially as described. '7. The combination of the tubular shell ofa screw-driver, having racks secured thereto, and the operatingmechanism, as described, of the spindle therein, and at spring-catchesct on the outer surface of the shell, with a cap C, having internalshoulders c and adapted to lit over the end of the shell, spring-tonguessecured to the interior of the cap, and knobs upon said tongues,substantially as described. In testimony whereof I aix my signature inpresence of two witnesses.

JOHN Il. SATTERLEE. Witnesses:

MELVIN F. STEPHENS, C. H. DAVID.

